The present invention relates generally to the field of shaping and forming metals and hard non-metals, and in particular to a new and useful system and method for dynamically and continuously forming and shaping metals and nonmetals into various shapes and sizes.
Metals are typically formed or shaped by extrusion through dies or between rollers. However, the dies or rollers are typically arranged in a particular pattern to form or shape the metal in a repetitively consistent manner. These systems and methods are disadvantageous because they are constrained to a particular shape or a fixed degree of extrusion. A system and method is needed for dynamically and continuously shaping and forming metals and nonmetals into tapered or curved products.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,770,017 teaches a method and apparatus for forming plates into shapes having a double curved surface. A plate is passed between a series of rolls which are mounted at predetermined intervals. Entrance and exit rolls are fixed in arbitrary positions, but are vertically adjustable. Flexible rolls are supported in a flexible state and cause deformation based on vertical position. However, the apparatus lacks computerized dynamic control of roll movement.
The plate is formed to shape by undergoing a transverse deformation which is delimited by the shape of the flexible rolls. The plate is also subjected to longitudinal deformation depending on the vertical positions of the entrance and exit rolls relative to the intervening flexible rolls. The rolls include roll members which have a cylindrical circumferential surface. The plate is deformed to a shape which is defined by the roll members. The plate does not undergo deformation in locations where it is gripped by the roll members.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,407,056 discloses a method for making metal sections, including one process of shaping a blank prior to rolling in which pressure is exerted on both the vertical and horizontal surfaces of the blank. The shaped blank is rolled to produce the final product. Dies are used to exert pressure on the blank during the pre-forming process.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,424,652 discloses a pre-cambered steel beam which is formed in a two-step process. A steel sheet is first passed through a series of rollers to provide the desired beam shape. The beam has a consistent cross-sectional shape along its length. The shaped beam is then passed through a deflection guide to give it a curvature defined by the deflection angle of the guide. The rollers used to shape the sheet in to the beam shape are arranged in stages to shape a particular segment of the beam as it passes the rollers.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,074,557 discloses a metal extrusion process for making beams and shaped rods from metal blanks. Rollers are used to press the metal blank down to a particular shape as the blank is forced through an opening defined by the rollers. The rollers are held in a fixed position during the extrusion.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,890,388 teaches an apparatus comprising top and bottom rolls which shape a strip or bar of metal into a desired shape. The apparatus is used for forming an angle shaped structural member in which additional mass is needed in the center of the substrate for providing the required mass in the apex section of the formed finished product. The heating of the center section in combination with a guide roll and die assembly moves metal laterally to the center of the bar or strip. At least one pair of edge rolls on the sides of the strip or bar presses material mass towards the center. The top and bottom rolls shape the displaced material for forming an apex at the top surface.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,572,075 teaches a method for manufacturing circular metal parts from cylindrically shaped metal billets, using an array which comprises top and bottom sets of rollers. The rollers are individually rotatably mounted and are arranged so that the two sets can be moved relative to each other in a direction along an axis that lies between the rollers. The rollers are used to impose a force on a billet, causing the billet to expand radially outward between the rollers. The rollers are contoured so as to obtain a particular shape. The apex end of each roller may be round for example. The rollers may also have helical grooves to provide sufficient force to move the metal in a desired direction.
An apparatus and method for decreasing the width of a metal slab is disclosed by U.S. Pat. No. 4,651,550. Two opposed axially movable dies are positioned on each side of a slab, so that as the slab moves past the dies, the original width of the slab is decreased in accordance with the distance between the dies.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,848,127 teaches press tools for reducing the width of a slab as well. The press tools are arranged opposed to each other on each side of a slab. The tools may be moved toward or away from each other as the slab is moved through the space between the tools.
Furthermore, temperature is a significant factor in rolling applications relating to formation and shaping of metals. A system and method is needed that is not temperature dependent while still effective. U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,454,888, 5,496,425, and 5,704,998 teach methods of forming high strength steel structural members such as I-beams from a blank of steel material under various temperature conditions and rolling or die extrusion processes.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,454,888, for example, discloses a method for warm forming high strength steel structural members from a blank of steel material by rolling or extruding at warm temperatures. In one embodiment, an I-beam stock is heated to 800° F. and extruded through a tapered die to warm form a finished I-beam structural member. U.S. Pat. No. 5,496,425 discloses a method for cold forming high strength steel structural members by passing rollers over the length of a blank until it is formed into a desired shape. Gallagher U.S. Pat. No. 5,704,998 discloses a method for hot rolling a blank at a temperature of 2000° F.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,325,874 similarly teaches a method for cold forming flat-rolled banks into high-strength structural members. Flat-rolled blanks are derived from a coil of steel material, sheet, plate or generally planar stock material. Rollers are repeatedly passed over the length of the flat-rolled blanks without heat treatment, until the desired shape is formed.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,749,256 discloses a method of hot rolling a beam having a web with open spaces. The method is particularly useful for forming castellated I-beams and C-beams. The beam shape is formed during a hot-rolling process, to set the flanges and web thickness and shape.
Although a variety of apparatuses and methods for shaping and forming metals are well known in the art, there is still a need for computerized continuous dynamic shaping and forming of metals into various shapes and sizes. For example, some methods use rollers which are flexibly mounted to accommodate a tolerance, but which are not dynamically displaceable. Other methods use rollers which cannot be moved at all.
Using such devices unnecessarily restricts a manufacturer to a certain shape or size for a product. When the dimensions, shape, or size of a desired product need to be changed, the apparatus needs to be changed to accommodate formation of the new product, which is not cost efficient. Also, some methods rely on temperature as a factor. Accordingly, the present invention provides a more adaptable, dynamically changeable apparatus and method that can be used for forming and shaping a variety of different products, without the need for equipment replacement or particular temperature conditions.